New Orleans Hornets

The Lakers needed to win all four games in Week 24 to stay ahead of the Utah Jazz. They did -- but in the process lost Kobe Bryant for the year with an Achilles' tendon tear. The week started with good news on the health front. Metta World Peace made a surprising return , just 12 days after knee surgery. Watching his teammates, especially Bryant, play major minutes gave World Peace incentive to get back on the floor ahead of his four-to-six-week time frame. Though World Peace was able to make it back for Tuesday's game against the New Orleans Hornets, Steve Nash still wasn't ready to return from hip and hamstring soreness.

Metta World Peace is back in the lineup for the Lakers, but he'll remain a reserve until his knee improves. "Physically, he was limping and didn't look good last game," said Coach Mike D'Antoni of World Peace's four-point performance Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. "He'll eventually be back in the starting lineup, as soon as he gets back to his normal form. " Even World Peace was surprised that he was able to return 12 days after undergoing knee surgery for torn cartilage.

NEW ORLEANS - They were like the Three Amigos in the fourth quarter, playing all 12 minutes, doing their parts to help the Clippers finally get by the New Orleans Hornets. Jamal Crawford had 10 of his 15 points in the fourth, Eric Bledsoe all nine of his points in the final quarter and Matt Barnes had seven of his 16 points in the last quarter. That trio played as big a role for the Clippers as anybody else. "I think our biggest contribution to this team is our energy and our effort," Barnes said about the group.

NEW ORLEANS - Every one of the Clippers claimed they were not looking past the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night and looking ahead to Saturday night's showdown at Memphis. Still, it took the small three-guard lineup of 6-foot Chris Paul, 6-1 Eric Bledsoe and 6-5 Jamal Crawford and 6-7 Matt Barnes and 6-10 Blake Griffin at the forward positions for the Clippers to finally escape the Hornets, 96-93, at New Orleans Arena. "Can't never look ahead," said Paul, who had 17 points and 14 assists to go along with seven rebounds.

Kobe Bryant would like some rest eventually. Just not a whole summer's worth. The finish line to the Lakers' playoff push is in sight, and Bryant is ready to breast the tape at the point of unconsciousness if necessary. "Three more [games] and then get a couple of days off, hopefully," Bryant said Wednesday night after squeezing 48 minutes and a season-high 47 points out of himself during the Lakers' 113-106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. About the only time Bryant has left the court in the Lakers' last six games has been for timeout huddles and at halftime.

NEW ORLEANS - The Clippers know how high the stakes will be when they face Memphis on Saturday, something Blake Griffin said he and Chris Paul and the rest of their teammates couldn't help but address in the locker room recently. By no means are the Clippers looking past the New Orleans Hornets at the start of their two-game trip on Friday night. It's just that the Clippers' game against the Grizzlies carries all the weight. When the Clippers and Grizzlies meet at the FedEx Forum, the outcome could determine who has the home-court advantage if these two teams continue to stay on course as first-round playoff foes.

Join Times Lakers writer Mike Bresnahan and Clippers writer Brad Turner at 11:30 a.m. today as they hold a live video chat about their respective teams. You will be able to ask them questions during the chat, which will take place on this blog post. The Clippers are assured a playoff spot, but the Lakers are still battling for the last playoff spot in the West, enhancing their chances with a big victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday. As Bresnahan wrote , "It could have been the Lakers' darkest hour this season, losing at home to the New Orleans Hornets.

The Lakers (41-37) muscled out a win on Tuesday night at Staples Center with a 104-96 victory over the New Orleans Hornets. On Wednesday in Portland, they'll have the chance to achieve something they've failed at 15 straight times -- winning two games on consecutive nights. More importantly, a victory over the Trail Blazers would keep the Lakers in eighth place ahead of the 41-38 Utah Jazz. The Lakers lost their very first back-to-back set of the year in Portland on Halloween as the Lakers began the year 0-2. Seven times the Lakers have won on the first night but couldn't close the deal in the second. In four cases the Lakers rebounded from a first-game loss - in four they lost both games.

It could have been the Lakers' darkest hour this season, losing at home to the New Orleans Hornets. So Kobe Bryant brought out his flashlight, flicked it on and shined it directly at the Hornets. Twelve chaotic minutes later, Bryant had taken the Lakers to a 104-96 victory Tuesday at Staples Center. Yes, there is light near the end of the regular season. Barely. Bryant entered the fourth quarter with seven points and finished with 30, pushing the Lakers to their most important victory this season, if only because they moved half a game ahead of Utah for eighth place in the Western Conference.

Lakers 104 - Hornets 96 (end of regulation) Kobe Bryant scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to push the Lakers past the feisty New Orleans Hornets, 104-96. Bryant nearly matched the Hornets' scoring for the period, falling three short of New Orleans' 26 points. The Lakers All-Star guard had just seven points after three quarters but finished the game with 30. The Lakers shot 50.6% from the field and Pau Gasol stepped up with a big game - 22 points and 11 rebounds. Dwight Howard was limited with foul trouble but finished with 19 points on nine-of-13 shooting and six rebounds.